shannonwatch's blog

On 30th March of this year, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said in the Dáil (Irish parliament) that "The President [of the U.S.] was grateful for the opportunity to thank us for allowing transit through Shannon Airport and the use of the facility there in accordance with the United Nations’ agreement and resolution." He was responding to a question from Joe Higgins TD (Socialist Party/United Left Alliance) who asked him if President Obama haid said anything to the Taoiseach about the use of Shannon Airport by the US Air Force, and the facilitation by the Irish State of the US armies of occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan, during their meeting on March 17th.

It seems nobody has told our Irish government leader that the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan were not authorised by United Nations resolutions. They were illegal.

When you fill in your census form on Sunday April 10th, you’re giving us the information we need now to understand what Ireland needs for the future.

What they do not say is that you are also giving your information to a company accused of committing torture, war crimes and civil conspiracy. CACI, the "IT Solutions specialist" was awarded a £5.8 million contract to process the next Irish Census is also a provider of intelligence-gathering services for the U.S. government. But even more troubling is the fact that it is a military contract company that became notorious for human rights abuses committed at Abu Ghraib and other prisons in Iraq.

On Friday 18th March Shannonwatch delivered two full wheelbarrow loads of documentation relating to the misuse of Shannon Airport to the Gardai. The information, which was all related to possible breaches of national and international laws at the airport was delivered after a press conference held in Shannon.

The information presented to the Gardai contained details of 20 aircraft known or suspected to be involved in renditions that have landed at Shannon over the last eight years. While many of these may not now be involved in rendition, the fact that they have not been adequately investigated means it is still possible for them - or other aircraft - to be in breach of international law at Shannon.

On Sunday 13th March a small group of peaceful demonstrators gathered for the monthly vigil at Shannon Airport. The date was less than a week away from the 8th anniversary of the start of the Iraq war for which the Irish government allowed the United States armed forces to use the airport. To this day the U.S. military have continued to take troops and cargo through the airport on a daily basis without the approval of the Irish people. Similarly the CIA have been allowed to come and go as they please while engaging in illegal and cruel acts of kidnapping and torture.

The militarised agenda being pursued by Western powers has resulted in the basic human rights of millions of people in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere being ignored in favour of a global agenda of expansion and greed. Shannonwatch urges everyone to question the morality of Ireland's support for wars of conquest in the upcoming Irish general election, to consider the negative impact of a pro-military agenda on Ireland's own sustainability, and to vote for election candidates that will work to restore Ireland's commitment to peace and human rights.

During George W. Bush's reign as U.S. president the CIA routinely used Shannon airport as they crisscrossed the world kidnapping and torturing. Bush has admitted that he personally authorised waterboarding, which is an act of torture and a crime under U.S. and international law. To date nothing has been done in the U.S. to investigate the circumstances in which torture was used by the Bush administration. Similarly nothing has been done in Ireland to investigate why and how Shannon was made available to the torture crews.